If you live in an urban area, traffic congestion can cause serious headaches every day. Not only is it bad enough that roads do not have enough capacity for the optimal mileage of an increasing number of vehicles, rude and aggressive drivers make things even worse. Do you want to avoid being part of the problem and contribute positively to your community? Taking public transportation, cycling or walking, and using good driving techniques are all ways to avoid contributing to road congestion.
Steps
Step 1. Take public transportation
The best way to avoid contributing to traffic congestion is to travel this way. When moving around town, hop on a bus or train instead of using the car. Taking public transport can be faster, cheaper and more relaxing. It also helps minimize the environmental damage caused by overuse of the machine.
Step 2. Try Active Transport
Active transportation (walking, jogging, rollerblading, cycling, etc.) is another great way to reduce congestion. Active transport takes many cars off the roads and is the most cost-effective for short distances. It's also an easy way to improve your health, cut fuel costs, and save the environment.
If you are cycling on the street, do not unnecessarily obstruct or confuse motorized traffic. Stay on the slow moving part of the road, provided it is safe and practical. Report your turns
Step 3. Combine Active Transportation and Public Transportation
If your destination is too far away to be reached by active transport or public transport, mix the two to increase the availability of options for your round trip, allowing you to cycle to the bus stops closer to your destination. Many mass transit systems have been designed with cyclists in mind, so there are dedicated sections for bicycles at the front of buses, places to park them safely at major stops, or even entire train carriages where they can be put. during the trip. Check to find out what options are available in your area for the purpose of combining active and public transport!
Step 4. Pay attention
It seems obvious, but most motorists lock themselves up in their own little shells, paying very little attention to what's going on around them, even with regard to the two cars in front. Start making an active effort to stay alert by watching as much as possible what is happening in front of you. Your peripheral vision will focus on what is not directly under your eyes. Watch to slow down before obstacles on the road, for accidents or other problems on the road. Anticipate slowdowns or gear changes even if you are driving an automatic transmission car. Do not brake hard on the highway. This can cause a domino effect for miles. If you see an obstacle on the road, such as debris in the middle of the road, call the police via a non-emergency line and report this presence on the road. The sooner someone reports a problem, the less impact it will have on commuters. Also try to drive in a zen way.
If someone is creating a minor problem by not paying attention, remind this person to be alert by honking the horn briefly, and don't worry if the problem isn't resolved properly. Opt for a longer, louder honk only for situations of immediate danger
Step 5. Plan ahead
When making your way to a freeway interchange or joining or exiting the freeway or carpool lanes (where there are) or fast-flowing lanes, don't wait until the last minute to merge into traffic. You don't have to do it miles first, but passing smoothly will make the flow go smoothly.
Step 6. Use the "hinge method", or alternation, to incorporate yourself into traffic
The “hinge method” while driving involves using the entire carriageway and ensures a smooth and uniform incorporation of the vehicles of both lanes, which will alternate with each other. Instead of running to the end of the funnel lane or prematurely embedding themselves before the end of the lane, motorists in the funnel lane should continue to the end of this road at a speed appropriate to that of cars on the second lane. Second-lane drivers, in turn, should allow drivers in the ducting lane to pass, alternating as they converge on a single lane. Accelerating to the end of the ducting lane infuriates other motorists and prematurely joining traffic creates a situation that demonstrates inefficient use of the highway. If motorists alternate fluently for access, the "zip method", or alternation, is created.
Step 7. Through the traffic, through the lanes
Often, congestion occurs when motorists drive through an area while driving on the duct lanes. This causes potential and unnecessary congestion for those who will flock to this lane. If you don't intend to exit the highway you are driving on, stay in the fast lane or lane (or fast lane). When your exit is next, you just have to direct the car into the lane needed to exit the highway. This will likely decrease your travel time as well! Keep in mind the rule of keeping right, except when overtaking, a rule that exists in many states. These laws don't just exist for safety reasons, they also serve to speed up general traffic. If you drive slowly in the left lane and cars have to overtake you on the right, you are contributing to congestion. Use the left lane to overtake and then return to the right.
Step 8. Accelerate quickly when the light turns green
After stopping at one of a series of traffic lights in a city or other road with many traffic lights, accelerate quickly and, particularly if you start late from near the end of a queue, try to keep to the speed limit. Then, with any luck, you will be able to continue at the same speed limit through many traffic lights, which are generally synchronized to allow the group of cars on the road to always proceed at the same pace.
Accelerate fast if you have a small car, not full power if you have a fast vehicle, and keep a safe distance with other cars. Not doing so could be unexpected and dangerous
Step 9. Anticipate delays on city streets
If there are multiple lanes going in the same direction, choose a middle lane to drive straight ahead, as the others can slow down due to cars turning left or right. If there are only two of them, look ahead for signs of a slowdown in traffic, keep some distance in front of you and put the arrow on to prepare for a turn if you see a slowdown. Even if you can't find an opening to safely change lanes on your own, you will help direct traffic around the obstruction.
Step 10. Don't slow down to observe an accident
When an accident occurs or a car breaks down on the side of the road, stopping (or slowing down) to snoop around is the worst thing you can do. Remember, this creates an impasse that causes problems for emergency vehicles to intervene and help injured people, and slows down everyone behind you. Consider how you would feel if your mother or child were the victim of the accident. You would like the paramedics to arrive instantly on the spot, not to get stuck in traffic while strangers gawk at the turn of the tragedy. Traffic collisions can also be interesting and compelling to watch, but slowing down to see what happens causes hellish traffic, which could take hours to slow down. And, if it's just a broken down car on the side of the road, let's face it: we all know what a flat tire or a smoking radiator looks like. The last thing everyone needs is for the umpteenth passer-by to slow down to take a photo or to make a video or to watch in a steady and nosy way.
Step 11. Pull over quickly and completely if you have a problem
In case the car starts to break down, move to the slow lane if you can, slow down and pull over as soon as it is safe to do so. A flat tire can cause horrific damage to the rest of the car if you try to continue driving anyway, and almost any vehicle problem is made worse by allowing the engine to run until it breaks down and really fails. Pull over and turn off the car, then send signals or use your cell phone for immediate assistance. If you are in the United States, for example, in metropolitan areas, such as Los Angeles, you can call 311 for emergency assistance, even if you don't belong to the AAA, American Automobile Association.
Step 12. Resist the temptation to talk on the phone, text, wear makeup, and read the newspaper - don't even if traffic moves at a snail's pace
Texting, reading, or doing other things that require your attention is reckless towards other drivers, who have to honk their horn to get you to wake up and participate in the world around you or wait for you to do it yourself. The idea is to stay alert enough to allow traffic to flow as smoothly as possible. Remember, in most jurisdictions, it is now illegal to text, talk on the phone, or even fiddle with a GPS unit while in traffic.
Step 13. Do not react to aggressive or rude behaviors of others
Some of these people can get incredibly on your nerves, but reacting by returning the "favor" by skidding as soon as you overtake them or trying to cut them off for doing the same to you will make things worse for everyone. It is also dangerous. Fights caused by anger and collisions may be rare, but they do happen. Don't give anyone a reason to make you mad. Showing your middle finger or yelling at others doesn't help. Just focus a person's already aggressive and possibly dangerous anger on you. If you can make some kind of sign to apologize, do it. Nothing calms a moment of anger more than a simple excuse, whether you did something wrong or not. It is useless to argue your point of view on principle and it is not a race, you just want to go home in one piece.
Step 14. Drive gently
When you see that someone has put the arrow on or started to move to another lane, slow down if the front of your car is behind that of the other driver. If you are even, you can accelerate to allow the other driver to get behind you or, if you are very polite, decelerate and allow them to pass in front of you. If you slow down a little to give the driver a chance to be in front of you, the traffic will recover almost instantly. If you try to accelerate to pass in front of him and he also tries to accelerate to pass in front of you, eventually one of you will have to give up. Don't play a race. Let it pass and keep the traffic flowing instead of forcing it to wedge itself in an unkind way in front of you or, worse, almost forcing it off the road if the lane is ending. Many drivers seem to think that allowing another to move from their lane to an adjacent one is somehow a "loss". You are moving towards the same destination; the driver by your side will not win a prize if he gets there before you. It's not a race, let him drive in the lane he wants.
Step 15. Relax
If you find yourself constantly frustrated, over-stressed, and angry every single time you hit the road, try to remember: There are few things you can do on your own to relieve traffic congestion. All you can do is change your attitude. If your daily commute causes your blood pressure to rise every blessed day, consider changing jobs or moving to a place near the office. Or just accept the fact that traffic will bother you and use your time driving to reflect and relax. Bring music or audio books with you; especially the latter can involve you and, if you can get carried away, your move will be much more enjoyable thanks to the interest you will have in knowing what will happen in the book.
Step 16. Stay calm
You have a lot of power in this situation. Use it positively. When someone wants to overtake you, pull over gently and let them do it. When someone else makes a mistake, remember that you've made a mistake too, you've gone where you couldn't go, and you've done crazy U-turns where you shouldn't have. You made mistakes in traffic and other drivers honked their horns to let you notice. In some cases, they have had to brake sharply to avoid a rear-end collision or you may have had real collisions with other cars. When another driver makes a risky maneuver in front of you, let him go without retaliation. Don't twist your finger in the sore. Smile and give him a nod or, if you have to, make a silent gesture to let him know that he got away with it. Then forget it and get back to driving.
Advice
- If you find yourself rushing through traffic day after day to get to your destination on time, consider leaving the house 15 minutes early, you may find the same amount of traffic, but it won't be a big problem anymore. If you hate waiting in rush hour traffic on your way back, you may leave the office later, check to see if there is anything you do from home that you could take care of at work before you leave and avoid wasting time while the others suffer in bottling.
- Remember that you are part of the traffic too. It is not too difficult to know which directions and which roads are congested and when. If you have a choice, avoid busy streets and times.
- Another approach is to move close to the workplace. If you decide to live 15km from the office, on the outskirts, then you are choosing to deal with traffic. If you live closer to the center of a city, you will have more public transport available and active transport will be much simpler, faster and cheaper.
- Put a couple of water bottles in the pockets behind the driver's and passenger's seats - they're easily accessible from your seat and can really help you stay calm and composure - it's pretty hard to do if you're thirsty. Assorted nuts or cereal bars in the dashboard can be just as helpful to get you through or prevent a headache or a sugar drop, which can make you irrational and careless. Other good things to have on hand: A clear label bottle filled with a 50/50 mix of radiator coolant and water, brake oil, a quart of gasoline, light or reflective signs or flags, stock for the former relief, such as patches, aspirins, and a dose or two of the medications you usually take. These small precautions can really help you if you find yourself in a difficult situation, such as an accident that happens right in front of you; for example, a train carriage gets stuck on the tracks in front of you (and you are stuck between the track and the level crossing), if a terrible accident should happen and all the lanes you have to travel on are closed for an hour, or more, or if there should be another traffic delay of more than half an hour.
- Use automatic speed adjustment. Traffic will flow more fluently if drivers don't slow down and accelerate because they get distracted. It will also prevent the receipt of fines.
- Go cycling. You would be surprised at the vigor you will feel after cycling to work. Of course you have to estimate the distance, even if 15 km is easily covered by a healthy person (follow the rules of the road and the road signs).
- Do not run or zigzag through traffic in order to shorten the travel time by a few seconds. Your erratic driving will cause defensive reactions in others, which will make traffic congestion worse.
- When you have a cell phone, it's a good idea to phone the person you meet to let them know that you are stuck in traffic and that you will arrive as soon as possible. It's not like in the past, when no one knew where you were and we worried frantically. Just make a quick call, then relax and drive safely; you will not endanger others, or yourself, more than you should.
- Look for alternative routes to the freeway that are main avenues or roads that lead in the same direction. Try to have extra time by leaving early when using an alternative route to school or work.
